Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton (UK Parliament constituency)

Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Map
Interactive map of boundaries from 2024
Map of constituency
Boundary of Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton in North West England
CountyGreater Manchester
Electorate74,183 (2023)[1]
Major settlementsOldham, Royton, Chadderton
Current constituency
Created1997 (as Oldham West and Royton)
Member of ParliamentJim McMahon (Labour Co-op)
SeatsOne
Created fromOldham West and Oldham Central & Royton

Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton (known as Oldham West and Royton prior to 2024)[2] is a constituency[n 1] in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.[n 2] It has been represented by the Labour Party since its creation in 1997.

Boundaries

The constituency is one of three covering the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham. It covers most of the western part of the borough, including Chadderton and Royton but not Failsworth which was in the Ashton-under-Lyne constituency until 2024, and then Manchester Central thereafter.

1997–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham wards of Alexandra, Chadderton Central, Chadderton North, Chadderton South, Coldhurst, Royton North, Royton South, St Paul's, and Werneth.

2010–present: The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham wards of Chadderton Central, Chadderton North, Chadderton South, Coldhurst, Hollinwood, Medlock Vale, Royton North, Royton South, and Werneth.

The boundaries were unchanged by the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies (which was based on the ward structure in place on 1 December 2020).[3]

Name

In July 2006, fourteen representations were received by the Boundary Commission for England, which called for the inclusion of Chadderton in the name of the Oldham West and Royton parliamentary constituency. Many of these objectors pointed out that Chadderton was much larger and more populous than Royton. The commission rejected the proposed alternative name (Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton) because it was too long and they did not believe that there was a significant amount of support for a name change.[4]

The commission later adopted the proposed renaming of the constituency to Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton as part of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, with unchanged boundaries.[3][5]

History

The present constituency was formed in 1997 from parts of the former Oldham Central and Royton and Oldham West constituencies and has to date been a safe seat for the Labour Party, having been held by Michael Meacher since the 1997 general election. Meacher had previously been the MP for the predecessor seat of Oldham West since 1970.[citation needed]

Despite no part of the constituency, nor Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council ever having had a BNP councillor, the constituency gained a level of notoriety at the 2001 general election when the leader of the far-right British National Party (BNP), Nick Griffin, stood as a candidate. Griffin received 6,552 votes (a 16.4% share), beating the Liberal Democrats to third place and 524 votes behind the Conservative Duncan Reed in second. This was widely interpreted to be a reaction to the serious race riots that had occurred in Oldham (and other northern towns) a few months earlier.[citation needed] Because of the heightened tension, the Returning officer took the decision not to allow any candidates to make speeches after the declaration of the results. This led to Griffin and fellow BNP candidate Michael Treacy, who ran in the neighbouring constituency of Oldham East and Saddleworth, symbolically gagging themselves on the platform wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan "Gagged for Telling the Truth".[6]

In local elections following the 2001 race riots, the BNP also received considerable support: specifically in the two wards of Royton North and Royton South. However, from 2008 the BNP share of the vote has been markedly lower, with BNP and former BNP candidates coming in third or fourth in Royton North and other Oldham West and Royton Wards.[7]

At the 2005 and 2010 general elections the BNP managed to retain their deposits (polling around 7% on both occasions) but have only achieved fourth place, with the Conservative Party second behind veteran politician Michael Meacher of the Labour Party, who stood at the 2015 general election. Meacher's death in October 2015 triggered a by-election, the first of the new Parliament, which was held on 3 December 2015 and was won by Jim McMahon of the Labour Party.[8]

Members of Parliament

Election Member[9] Party
1997 Michael Meacher Labour
2015 by-election Jim McMahon Labour Co-op

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton[10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Jim McMahon 13,232 34.3 −21.0
Independent Zaffar Iqbal 8,256 21.4 N/A
Reform UK David Silbiger 6,848 17.8 +10.3
Conservative Horatio Lovering 4,066 10.5 −19.8
Independent Raja Miah 2,470 6.4 N/A
Green Samsuzzaman Syed 1,857 4.8 +3.3
Liberal Democrats Hannah Kitching 1,271 3.3 ±0.0
Independent Tony Wilson 573 1.5 N/A
Majority 4,976 12.9 −12.1
Turnout 38,573 51.0 −8.7
Registered electors 75,346
Labour Co-op hold Swing -21.2

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Oldham West and Royton[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Jim McMahon 24,579 55.3 −9.9
Conservative Kirsty Finlayson 13,452 30.3 +2.7
Brexit Party Helen Formby 3,316 7.5 N/A
Liberal Democrats Garth Harkness 1,484 3.3 +1.2
Green Dan Jerrome 681 1.5 +0.5
Proud of Oldham & Saddleworth Debbie Cole 533 1.2 N/A
UKIP Anthony Prince 389 0.9 −3.2
Majority 11,127 25.0 −12.6
Turnout 44,434 60.8 −2.4
Labour Co-op hold Swing -6.3
General election 2017: Oldham West and Royton[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Jim McMahon 29,846 65.2 +10.4
Conservative Christopher Glenny 12,648 27.6 +8.6
UKIP Ruth Keating 1,899 4.1 −16.5
Liberal Democrats Garth Harkness 956 2.1 −1.6
Green Adam King 439 1.0 −0.9
Majority 17,198 37.6 +3.4
Turnout 45,788 63.2 +3.6
Labour Co-op hold Swing +0.9
By-election, 2015: Oldham West and Royton[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Jim McMahon 17,209 62.1 +7.3
UKIP John Bickley 6,487 23.4 +2.8
Conservative James Daly 2,596 9.4 −9.6
Liberal Democrats Jane Brophy 1,024 3.7 0.0
Green Simeon Hart 249 0.9 −1.0
Monster Raving Loony Sir Oink A-Lot 141 0.5 N/A
Majority 10,722 38.7 +4.5
Turnout 27,706 40.3 −19.3
Labour Co-op hold Swing +2.3
General election 2015: Oldham West and Royton[15][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Meacher 23,630 54.8 +9.3
UKIP Francis Arbour 8,892 20.6 +17.4
Conservative Kamran Ghafoor 8,187 19.0 −4.7
Liberal Democrats Garth Harkness 1,589 3.7 −15.4
Green Simeon Hart 839 1.9 N/A
Majority 14,738 34.2 +12.4
Turnout 43,137 59.6 +0.5
Labour hold Swing −4.0
General election 2010: Oldham West and Royton[17][18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Meacher 19,503 45.5 −2.9
Conservative Kamran Ghafoor 10,151 23.7 +2.6
Liberal Democrats Mark Alcock 8,193 19.1 −2.1
BNP Dave Jones 3,049 7.1 +0.3
UKIP Helen Roberts 1,387 3.2 +0.7
Respect Shahid Miah 627 1.5 N/A
Majority 9,352 21.8 −5.3
Turnout 42,910 59.1 +5.1
Labour hold Swing −2.7

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Oldham West and Royton[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Meacher 18,452 49.1 −2.1
Conservative Sean Moore 7,998 21.3 +3.6
Liberal Democrats Stuart Bodsworth 7,519 20.0 +7.6
BNP Anita Corbett 2,606 6.9 −9.5
UKIP David Short 987 2.6 N/A
Majority 10,454 27.8 −5.7
Turnout 37,562 53.3 −4.3
Labour hold Swing −2.8
General election 2001: Oldham West and Royton[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Meacher 20,441 51.2 −7.6
Conservative Duncan Reed 7,076 17.7 −5.7
BNP Nick Griffin 6,552 16.4 N/A
Liberal Democrats Marc Ramsbottom 4,975 12.4 +0.5
Green David Roney 918 2.3 N/A
Majority 13,365 33.5 −1.9
Turnout 39,962 57.6 −8.5
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Oldham West and Royton[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Meacher 26,894 58.8 +9.7
Conservative Jonathan Lord 10,693 23.4 −14.7
Liberal Democrats Howard Cohen 5,434 11.9 +0.4
Socialist Labour Gias Choudhury 1,311 2.9 N/A
Referendum Peter Etherden 1,157 2.5 N/A
Natural Law Sheila Dalling 249 0.5 N/A
Majority 16,201 35.4 +24.4
Turnout 45,738 66.1
Labour win (new seat)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ^ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

References

  1. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – North West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  2. ^ "What plans to change MP constituency boundaries mean for Oldham". The Oldham Times. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 5 North West region.
  4. ^ Final Recommendations for Parliamentary Counstituency Boundaries in Greater Manchester Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Boundary Commission for England, published 19 July 2006. URL accessed 24 October 2006.
  5. ^ "North West | Boundary Commission for England". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  6. ^ BNP: Under the Skin, BBC News. URL accessed 11 December 2006.
  7. ^ [1], Oldham Council Election Results 2008.
  8. ^ "Oldham West and Royton: Parliamentary By-Election". Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  9. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "O"
  10. ^ "General Election 4 July 2024 results". Oldham Council. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton results". BBC News. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  12. ^ Sansome, Jessica; Otter, Saffron (14 November 2019). "All the Greater Manchester General Election 2019 candidates". men. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Oldham West & Royton parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
  14. ^ "Oldham West and Royton: Parliamentary By-Election Results". Oldham Council. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  15. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  16. ^ "Oldham West & Royton". BBC News. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  17. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  18. ^ Guardian Online
  19. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  21. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

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